Many computer and electronics systems include removable and/or replaceable circuit boards. Such removable circuit boards may, for example, be in the form of computer blades, cards, etc. A typical removable circuit board or add-in card may include an Ethernet card having a faceplate coupled to a printed circuit board as well as connections (for example, mechanical and/or electrical connections) to allow the card to interact with other circuitry and/or systems (not shown) disposed within computer or electronic system. A port or jack (for example, an RJ45 jack/port) may be secured to the faceplate using a mechanical fastener and acts as a physical interface between the card and another device (typically a cable such as, but not limited to, twisted pair type cables).
A single card may include multiple RJ45 jacks which are generally oriented in the same direction such that all of the notched regions or pins of the RJ45 jacks are all arranged in the same direction. Unfortunately, this arrangement may make it difficult to identify a specific cable plug and/or RJ45 jack from others on the multi-port card. Additionally, the mechanical connector(s for each RJ45 jack may require a minimum amount of space between adjacent RJ45 jacks to provide support for the mechanical connector(s) thus the maximum number of RJ45 jacks that can be placed on a faceplate may be limited. Moreover, the number of RJ45 jacks that can be fit on a faceplate may be further reduced in order for the card to comply with applicable IEEE specifications such as, but not limited to, IEEE 802.3 Ethernet.
Accordingly, there exists a need for an improved multi-port card that obviates or reduces some of these drawbacks. It is important to note that the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to a system or method which must satisfy one or more of any stated objects or features of the invention. It is also important to note that the present disclosure is not limited to the preferred, exemplary, or primary embodiment(s) described herein. Modifications and substitutions by one of ordinary skill in the art are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure, which is not to be limited except by the following claims.